PEOPLE PRACTICES - 2025/6

Module Overview

In this module we introduce the fundamentals of people practice. Anyone seeking to develop a career in HR, in the UK or globally will find it to be essential to their professional development. It will also be of interest to anyone with an interest in the management of people or anyone who anticipates building a generalist management career. Our focus is on the employee lifecycle with specific emphasis on recruitment and selection. All employers need to always ensure that they have the right people in the right jobs. This module also explores performance management, employee development and the premise of reward. Teaching of the employee lifecycle ensures students gain basic knowledge about the legislative framework that underpins an employee lifecycle. This module enables students to apply their knowledge through practical assessment and develops collaboration, resilience and teamworking skills.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

KHAN Jashim (SII DUFE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Over 11 sessions we will introduce and discuss a wide range of topic areas relating to the employee lifecycle in organisations; a particular emphasis being placed on up to date developments and trends in people practices. Teaching will typically focus on; human resource planning and job design, recruitment and selection methods, induction and socialisation,employee retention, managing individual performance,employee development,reward for attraction and retention.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessment for ‘Group Activity’ is an ‘Individual assignment’

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate all four of the intended module learning outcomes; which is reflected both in its formative and its summative elements.

Summative assessments will be by a group activity and individual electronic presentation. The first element of the summative assessment requires students to work in groups designing an element of the employee lifecyle. Groups will present to their peers and members of staff. The second element requires students to individually produce a critical video related to performance management and reward; a short critical personal reflection of their experience of group work Students will receive oral and written feedback on the formative and summative assessments. Students who fail to pass their assignments will be required to rework them and resubmit at a later date. Alternative assessment individual assignment (100% weighting).

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Group work (addresses learning outcomes: 1 and 2)


• Individual Video Presentation  (addresses learning outcomes:3 and 4)

Formative assessment Students will receive verbal formative assessment during mock group work activity. Feedback Students will receive verbal feedback during seminars related to case study analysis

Formative assessment will take the form of in-class discussion exercises with in-class tutor feedback. Formative feedback for individual students will be provided during staffs student feedback and consultation hours.

Module aims

• To help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to manage a recruitment and selection campaign.
• To develop your knowledge so you may competently demonstrate the purpose of performance management and employee development in organizational retention strategies.
• To be able to explain the role of a Human Resource Management professionals' role within the employee lifecycle.
• To develop the following skills; creativity, collaboration, resilience, and self- management.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to enable students to gain knowledge and develop managerial skills in relation to the management of people, specifically a typical employee lifecycle.To develop an awareness of the links between academic concepts and theories and practice, and to begin to develop cognitive, professional and transferable skills, such as critical analysis, creativity, collaboration, evaluation and use of evidence, generation of insight and independent inquiry as understood and practiced in the field of modern people management practices.

Teaching and learning methods include: 

• Lectures 


• Workshops 


• Case study discussions/role play 


• Self-directed learning


•  Reading


• SurreyLearn on-demand captured content

Total student learning time = 150 hours

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN1149

Other information

This module promotes the Student Competency Framework Pillars as follows: Global and Cultural Capabilities Students on this module work together in groups to create and simulate an element of the employee lifecycle which is part of the assesment strategy. Each group is coached by an SBS member of academic staff throughout the module. The demographic topography of our students, and members of staff, is rich and diverse. Therefore, students acquire and develop global and cultural intelligence by interacting with each other in completing the assessment, as well as with the academic members of SBS staff. Employability The module is designed to equip students with people management knowledge, skills, and competencies - a fundamental requirement for a career in people management. Additionally by learning to work together to inevitably resolve any minor disagreements, overcome any initial setbacks and pool ideas students develop a range of soft skills. Resourcefulness & Resilience Students are randomly assigned to a group and the need to develop rapport with their peers, adapting to different personality types and ways of working is a challenging environment in which students learn how to devise and deploy successful strategies in achieving the team task. Members of the academic team, provide the necessary support to each student, as well as groups of students, and tailor advice and guidance contingent on each situation. Sustainability Attracting, retaining and developing staff is an area of people management that can enhance organisational reputation and success, sustainable people management practices is critical for a successful manager. The triple bottom line: people, planet, profits transcends all topics and activities covered in this module, with a special focus on people.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.